Mishara’s marathon 174 puts Sri Lanka in command as New Zealand crumble at Galle
Kamil Mishara - Pic courtesy SLC
A marathon 174 from Kamil Mishara helped Sri Lanka ‘A’ gain a commanding 213-run first innings lead against New Zealand ‘A’, who are now in serious trouble after collapsing to 45-4 in 13 overs in their second innings on day three of the second and final unofficial Test being played at the Galle International Stadium. At stumps yesterday, New Zealand ‘A’ trail by 168 runs, with the match firmly tilted in favour of the hosts.
Responding to the visitors’ first innings total of 305, built around a fine century from Matthew Boyle, who made 102, Sri Lanka ‘A’ piled up a formidable 518, powered by Mishara’s authoritative knock. The left-hander struck 174 off just 168 balls, laced with 19 boundaries and two sixes, dominating the bowling with remarkable control and intent. He found solid support from the rest of the batting unit, with Nishan Madushka (57), Lahiru Udara (61), Nuwanidu Fernando (55) and Sonal Dinusha (60n.o.) all registering half centuries to push the innings into commanding territory. Captain Pasindu Sooriyabandara also contributed a valuable 43 in a strong collective effort.
For New Zealand ‘A’, Dale Phillips was the standout bowler, returning figures of 3 for 44, while Michael Rae, Simon Keene and Tim Pringle claimed two wickets apiece in an otherwise testing innings in the field for the visitors. With a sizeable first innings deficit to overcome, New Zealand ‘A’ were expected to respond with resilience, but instead their top order crumbled under the pressure of incisive bowling from Sri Lanka A’s seamers and spinners, who maintained tight lines and relentless discipline throughout the evening session.
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